In the Springtime
by miwichan
Summary: "It was so kind of young Mr. Phantomhive to welcome me into his home. But this feeling of dread has lingered since I arrived here. I've never met such strange people." A friend of Vincent Phantomhive family comes for an extended stay. Rewritten. Sebastian x OC x Bard
1. Chapter 1

Okay so I'm only writing this for shits and giggles first and foremost so please no one get attached. This

could just be a one time thing.

I originally wrote this as a small, 13 year old child so of course it was total trash. And now I'm going to

write it as a trashier older asshole. Anyway, here goes.

A Greener Spring.

* * *

Spring was always such a beautiful time of the year. The flowers bloomed, and the trees grew their vibrant green leaves back. But most of it all, it was a mesh between warm weather and cold weather. It wasn't icy, but it also wasn't hot and sticky. A perfect harmony considering I was doomed to this horridly stuffy dress year-round.

So I figured a walk along the country side would be quite fun. Against my better judgement, I had went alone. A lady all by herself? That was unheard of! But, you have to understand. This wasn't a walk just for the fun of it. I was trying to remember someone in a very special way. I love nature, and so did ...well. So did a close friend of mine. And I felt like maybe, just maybe, taking this walk would let me reconnect with that person. As each day dragged by, I felt like I was losing memories of my beloved. It felt wrong. I couldn't forget such a wonderful person. A wonderful man. Not that easy. Anyway, I thought it may be too intimate of an experience to share with someone who'd...well, never had the pleasure of meeting my husband. Seeing his eyes light up at the feeling of grass underneath his toes, and smelling the fresh, crisp air. He used to make me so happy...

I felt something suddenly. On my head. Or..the lack of something rather. My hat was gone. It was flying off in the wind now, drifting further and further away from me right before my eyes. Oh no. _Not_ the hat.

"Oh my goodness!" I exclaimed. "Please come back, you!"

I hiked up my dress the best I could and ran after it of course. It was too special of a hat to just forget about. A memoir, you could say, of better times. And besides, even though it was spring, a hat could save me from the bitter cold in the winter. It's not like I have a full wardrobe of fancies, after all.

I kept tripping over myself, this dress becoming more of a hindrance as I fell over bramble and rocks. But suddenly the rough texture underneath my feet became plush as I neared the hat. Seeing it had been lodged into a tree, my determination to retrieve it had fallen.

"Crumbs.." I cursed, brows furrowing. What was I to do? It was so high up. So far away. And I'm not one for heights. I can't climb things like some sort of vigilante, and especially not with this dress weighing me down. But getting this hat dislodged was absolutely necessary. I looked around, trying to find something that maybe I could stick up inside of the tree perhaps? But to no avail. It was well trimmed. The grass was cut low, and not a stick or stray branch was to be found. It looked... much greener than the brown bramble I had been staring at before! That was...strange? I had just been walking through a forest's trail...right?

A bit more investigating led my eyes to this quite magnificent mansion, sitting upon a hill in the distance. How could I have missed that? It was so beautiful. So pristine. I could almost remember it from...something.

But the awe of the mansion quickly faded as I realized I was on someone else's _property._ An.."important someone." I didn't know WHO. But, I knew I shouldn't have been there. I was just some girl in rags. And whoever lived there was probably some rich entrepreneur or nobleman. They would mistake for a robber..A criminal. Some disgusting lowlife.

But I also didn't want to just leave my hat! It was MINE. One of the only things I was proud to possess!

I was so stumped that I hardly heard someone come up behind me. I jumped in surprise, even yelping a bit when I felt fingers wrap around my shoulder firmly. I turned on my heel to see a young blonde haired boy staring up at me with these big blue eyes.

"Hey, I saw that hat of yours fly into the tree there!" The boy chirped, a smile spread on his face.

"A-AH yes!" I sputtered, trembling a little bit. I was still in shock of seeing this boy. How had he quietly just crept upon me? Was I THAT unobservant?

"It's mine. Definitely!" I had blurted. "Um..do...Do you think you could help me get it down?" Why did I sound so nervous?

He nodded eagerly.

"Of course! You seem like a nice lady! It would be a shame to lose something so pretty!" He exclaimed. I smiled sheepishly, nodding in agreement. I was a nice lady. Not a criminal or a robber. I just wanted to get my hat and be on my merry way.

The boy turned to the tree and reached out, wrapping his hands around the trunk. I watched, not really understanding at first, as now he was hugging the tree with his lithe body. I had expected him to maybe grab a tool and pick at the tree but, that wasn't happening. What transpired next I couldn't forget. In one quick motion, he snapped the tree in half and thrust it above his head. All the while, he wore this huge smile, not even breaking a sweat underneath the weight of the tree. Needless to say, the hat _was_ dislodged. It fell to the ground with a soft plop.

But, I stood, in amazement, unable to comprehend what I had just witnessed. This innocent boy had just snapped a tree in half with brute power! Was I dreaming? Had I just SEEN this? My mind was going a mile a minute. A bit too fast in fact. My vision blurred, and my eyes glazed over.

"Oh Miss, you look a bit pale. Are you okay?"

Those were the last words I heard before I fell to the ground. When I woke up later, a man with red eyes told me I'd fainted.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2, because I am bored.

* * *

Coming back to consciousness, I found myself waking up in a plush white bed in a room that I didn't recognize. A room too fancy to be my own. The realization jolted me out of my drowsiness, and I tensed, looking around frantically to figure out where I was. I wasn't displeased with what I saw however. It was a beautiful room. Or at least, from what I could see in the dim light of a fire.

At the foot of the bed sat a chest, and beyond that a fireplace on the opposite wall. Two crafted chairs and a small table were positioned in front of the fireplace. There was a fire brewing, the light from it being the only way I had seen the majority of what lay before me.

It was almost comfortable. Aside from the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. How had I ended up here again? This looked well and dandy, but..where was I? I was in some stranger's home with no memory of how I got here in the first place.

I started trying to think, despite my growing panic. Really thinking. What had happened before I had woken up here? I was just taking a stroll. And somehow my hat had gotten away from me and I had been running and running...

CRASH!

I was jolted out of my thoughts as I heard a jarring sound just outside the door. It sounded like the clang of dishes. But that was strange. Dishes? Shortly after, there was some talking. A stern male voice it sounded like; as well as this terribly squeaky female's.

I tensed where I sat, the thought of two strange people just outside heightening my panic. My heart was racing, trying to beat out my chest it felt. All I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and wish this situation away. My hat. All I wanted was my hat and I'd ended up here.

The door handle began to turn now and I shrunk back into the sheets. In came the man and woman, both in uniform, pushing some sort of cart my way. The smell of meat filled the room which...well. Further confused me.

"Ah, you're awake," the man said, a smile spreading on his face. "What accurate timing." I examined him with extreme apprehensiveness, inwardly cringing at his words. Accurate timing? What did that mean? Oh god. He was pushing something towards the bed, a cart. And the woman with him looked so strangely happy and excited to see me. No. Maybe that's what the meat smell was. God, what was it?

couldn't choke back my whimper. If it wasn't already obvious to them both, I was incredibly uncomfortable, with my toes curled, my shoulders raised. I was shaking like a leaf in the wind, gripping the sheets even tighter as the man stopped at the beside.

"This is complimentary of the Young Master," He went on to explain. The man pulled away a covering, revealing this scrumptious dinner plate. I wasn't exactly sure what it was, as I had never seen such a gourmet dish, but it looked delicious.

"Pan-seared beef steak, accompanied with an assortment of vegetables," He explained in this perfect monotone. It was as if he'd read my mind. That, or my facial expression had been questionable. But even with such a delicious smelling dish pushed my way, I was still hesitant. I was hungry, but I wasn't sure about eating food I didn't know much about, made by someone I'd never seen before.

"Come now, do not look at it with such a sour face," The man spoke, this playfulness in his voice. I looked up from the food to meet his eyes, really taking in his appearance now. And, well..again I wasn't displeased. His face was one of the most perfect things I'd seen.

He was a very attractive, slender looking man, with his near perfect face and pale complexion, illuminated by the light of the fire. Long raven hair framed his face, almost neat, but not quite, with one stray strand falling into his face. And there, my eyes rested on his eyes. They held my attention for the longest as they were so un-apologetically red. Like the color of a ripe apple, or the blush on one's face. And that genuinely scared me much more than these unfamiliar surroundings. It was so bizarre.

Etiquette didn't allow me to reject or ignore him, so I tried my best to utter out some sort of reply.

"I'm not sure where I am," I whimpered. "And I'd like to be home now."

The man smiled calmly, attending to the tray I had refused to touch.

"Well, you are in the Phantomhive manor, per request of the young master."

"Phantomhive?"

"Are you not aware of the Funtom Corporation?"

My eyes grew wide, the name ringing bells.

"Of course! My husband..My late husband used to work very closely with Vincent Phantomhive."

He didn't say much else after this, expecting me to go on to explain further. But I was sort of lost. Vincent Phantomhive I had long been dead, right? I was bit more comfortable knowing I was in friendly company, maybe. If he was telling me the truth. But the question of how I got here remained. Not to mention, Vincent was dead. So who was this young master this man referred to?

"I am Sebastian Michaelis, a butler to the Phantomhive Manor," He explained with a slight bow. "I ensure you that I will make your stay here a pleasant one."

"My...stay?" More confusion. "I-I must be on my way! I can't linger where I don't belong," I exclaimed. "And I'm not even sure how I got here. And...Vincent. Vincent is dead isn't he? He was murde.." I trailed of, realizing I was saying more than I should. That wasn't public knowledge.

Crumbs. I could see his eyes narrow with growing suspicion. If I had thought there was a chance of leaving tonight, it was gone.

"The weather is much too horrid to travel in, wouldn't you agree?" He spoke. His eyes slid up past me, to the windows adjacent of the bed. I turned my attention to them and realized what he was talking about. Rain beat against the windows, the trees outside shook and rustled. Totally inappropriate weather for a walk home, or even going by carriage. But, I couldn't help but feel out of place. And scared really. The relationship between the Phantomhives didn't involve me. My husband perhaps, but he had long since passed. Besides a few dinner parties, I had not known much of the Phantomhives besides...secrets. I could remember so many times when I had been left to mingle with people I didn't know. People who were of much more class and grace than my bumbling self.

"Here," he spoke, placing the tray in my lap now. There was no escaping this meal.

"I was instructed to ensure that you eat. But I trust that you can feed yourself," He joked, that playfulness revisiting his voice. I fidgeted uncomfortably, unsure of what to say. Was he insinuating he would've fed me himself if I didn't? The thought lingered as I watched him walk, attending to the fire for a moment before seeing his way out. And with the tray of food so forcefully shoved my way, how could I reject now? Especially when he'd left the woman in the corner to monitor me. It smelled scrumptious. The woman, who had sort of stood fidgeting uncomfortably in the corner the entire time Sebastian and I had spoken, seemed to perk up at that fellow's leave, marching my way with this wide excited smile.

"Are you really ?" She exclaimed with enthusiasm. "You're really such a beautiful woman. It's no wonder Charles Whiston snatched you up for his own!"

I blushed, looking away shyly. "I suppose," I murmured, a small coy smile.

"What was he like? What's America like?" She pressed.

I smiled sheepishly.

"I couldn't even begin to describe how wonderful he treated me." I had said. And we had talked about things for a while. It had become apparent that I wouldn't be leaving tonight. In fact, she had explained that the room had been prepped for my overnight stay, and this woman, Mey-Rin, was made to care for me. She had also explained that she'd heard from Sebastian that I had fainted in the yard. Finnian, the gardener, was concerned so he'd brought me inside to get Sebastian's help. Which made me feel much better about Sebastian. And honestly a smidge bad that I had regarded him so sorely.

The girlish talk had ended after a while of me rambling on about Charles. After I had finished my dinner, she had attempted to bathe me. Which, had been a bit awkward quite truthfully.I had never been one to want servants attending to my every need and desire. So I had shooed her away. Bathed my own self. But had been unwillingly tucked into bed with nothing but a sheer night gown to my body.

The whole evening was strange to say the least. It left me with more questions than answers. Like, who was the head of the Funtom Corporation now? Why were they insisting on my company here? And..I remembered why I'd fainted now. Who was that Finnian kid, and why did he gave such unearthly power?

The next morning had come, but I hadn't known this until the curtain had been ripped open and the sunlight had assaulted me. A soft gasp escaped my lips, and my immediate reaction was to sit up to investigate.

Cracking my gray eyes open, I looked over to the windows, the silken covers sliding away from me.

I had expected to see Mey-Rin, the woman whom I had confided in just last night, but it was a man's form I saw. The man from before. Sebastian.

"GAH!" I yelped, rising a hand to my mouth in surprise. What was he doing in here? I was wearing next to nothing with this sheer night gown! I watched Sebastian turn, quicker than I had expected him to, in response to my panicked little yelp.

His eyes fell upon my scantily clad body first, and I was just frozen, staring at him with this dumb look on on my face. I must've turned several shades pink as I felt my face grow piping hot. I was so embarrassed and awkward!

I tried to hide my embarrassment, cupping my face behind slim fingers.

I couldn't tell. Perhaps maybe it was my own overthinking. But Sebastian didn't react very quickly. His gaze lingered for a moment, almost nonchalantly dragging his eyes up to meet my own. I couldn't break my gaze once

our eyes locked. I could see Sebastian's eyes clearer now, realizing my eyes hadn't failed me last night. His eyes were red. And they were flickering with this uncanny excitement. With mischief.

"Ah. Please excuse me, Miss, how rude of I to intrude upon a Lady," Sebastian spoke. His words came slow and steady, but his eyes quickly left mine, finding a distraction someplace else in the room. He rose a gloved hand to his face further block his vision.

I wrapped my arms around my breasts, but I felt like it didn't matter much now. My gown hadn't left too much up to imagination. What could've been seen had already been seen.

"I was sure you would've been more dressed than how you appear to me now. My apologies. I simply came to invite you to breakfast." As he spoke, I scrambled with the sheets, trying to pull them closer to my body, but they had just been tucked so tightly.

"When you're more decent, the young master will want to speak with you."

He was walking out now and I watched him leave it felt, in almost slow motion. I had only slightly heard what he'd said, still so consumed with embarrassment.

* * *

Not sure how to end this chapter but it's stopping here. not going for perfection here.


	3. Chapter 3

I am avoiding school work so here's more story. I realized I haven't actually introduced the girl whom is narrating. So here goes. I know. Her name is hella weaboo. but it didn't feel right renaming her. If you happened to follow the original story, you'll know that she is very near and dear to my heart, even if she was just a terrible OC.

Also, sorry for such a long, drawn out intro. I'm trying not to rush into anything, and I believe it's more important to build a story than skip to the action. After this chapter, there should be lots more action and moving parts.

S/O to ChocolateWolfey for the encouragement. I'm really glad that you enjoyed it :)

* * *

Breakfast had been quite...awkward. Not solely because of the events of earlier, but that didn't help. Sebastian had accompanied us. It was more of my shock that the master of this home was a child. I had so many questions, but none that seemed appropriate to ask. And besides, I could already figure things out for myself. His parents were gone. Dead. And he had overtaken the company. He was the sole survivor of a horrible tragedy and the kid looked so hardened. As anyone should expect, I guess.

For a while, I sort of just picked at my food nervously, trying to figure out what to say. Ciel certainly didn't have much to say. Well, at least at first. He asked me small questions, like my name and occupation. But it seemed strange for him to ask, considering he'd already had some presumption of who I was, or rather my connection. So I was admittedly even more nervous, feeling as if I had plunged into some sort of quiz. I was just hoping that I was choosing the right answers.

And, all the while, I felt out of place, With such fancy food. I'd been picking at what...I believe Sebastian had called it a scone? And the reality of the nobility I had stumbled upon really sunk in when I had seen the way Ciel was dressed.

Lastly...Well. I couldn't fathom looking in Sebastian's way. I was haunted by the idea that on some perverted level he must've enjoyed seeing me so vulnerable earlier. He hadn't come across to me as being very apologetic or even embarrassed. In fact, I felt like I remembered seeing the corner of his mouth tug upwards into a smi-

"Midori Haruka," Ciel said. I jerked in surprise at the sound of my name rolling off his tongue, looking up uncomfortably to meet the child's gaze. _Crumbs._ He'd said my full name. Was I in trouble? Dear god, this breakfast felt like sitting in on a court case.

"I found it quite funny that you'd find your way here by chance." He went on, eyeing me warily.

I was silent, unsure of what to say. I didn't want to incriminate myself by misspeaking, but he was sort of staring at me now, awaiting a response. So I smiled sheepishly back at him.

"Uh, yeah. Quite funny!" I laughed, awkwardly. But he didn't laugh. Not even smile.

"Let me start by explaining the obvious," He spoke, reeling back in his seat. I tensed. "I am aware of your connection to the Phantomhive family. I believe your late husband worked very closely with my father, but in matters that may not have ever been discussed with you."

I looked at him, questionable and anxious. Would he finally explain the secrecy that shrouded the Phantomhives? It would answer so many questions I had.

"What sort of matters?" I asked, my brows raising.

"Charles helped in cleaning up London's most despicable criminals," he explained. "To my knowledge, he was an informant for us Watchdogs."

 _My_ Charles? Helping to clean London up? That didn't sound much like him at all. He was too...soft. Charles hadn't been a wimp, but he looked at the world with such fresh eyes and naivety. It was something that I loved about him, because it mirrored my own personality. Life was like an unsuspecting adventure with him. So I sort of just stared at Ciel with this look of disbelief, waiting for him to explain himself a bit more. Charles did regard Vincent as a close friend, and they did often talk. But I couldn't imagine him being an enforcer of justice.

"He went missing around the same time both my mother and father did with not too much explanation. I was talking this over with Sebastian, and I found it interesting you knew that my father had been murdered, a detail that hadn't really been released to the public."

I paled, remembering the words that had slipped from my mouth just last night. My eyes flickered over to Sebastian, who looked much more serious and intimidating than he had before.

"I-It was explanined to me!" I spoke up, my voice quivering. _Oh my goodness._ He thought I'd had something to do with it! "Charles.." I started, but my voice trailed off. Unsure. How was I going to explain this? I didn't want to misspeak again.

"W-When Charles heard about the manor burning down, he was really frightened. I couldn't console him! He wouldn't talk to me about it at all. But I remember he was afraid that he might be next. He believed there was some sort of of conspiracy to take out people of nobility." I broke my gaze with Ciel.

"Even though it happened so long ago, I can still clearly remember. It wasn't long after the Phantomhive manor burning that he disappeared. It was like he up and left one day. Nothing tampered. He had just walked away from it all. And if it hadn't been for him being so concerned about the Phantomhives in the weeks before, I wouldn't have even suspected foulplay."

I inhaled, my eyes fluttering shut.

"His hand. It had been sent to me in the mail. Chopped at the wrist. It was absolutely horrifying," My voice was becoming more strained.

"..and I can still so clearly smell rotten flesh, and see the pale shades of his skin. Even though I had been so overcome with grief, I was still under huge interrogation. His family suspected me immediately, so they had expelled me from his manor. I..I want to know who did this, too."

It was silent for a second, the boy looking between me and Sebastian.

"Interesting." Ciel spoke, leaning forward in his seat.

"Midori, you're from America correct?"

I hesitated for a moment before I managed to utter out a yes. Yes, I was from America. Charles and I had fallen in love during a trip to New York. And the rest was history. I left my life to be in his.

"You've helped me better understand the strength of my enemies," he spoke, his eyes falling shut. "Our enemies. Midori, I want you around."

 _"...What?"_ What was he saying? He wanted me? I couldn't provide him with anything besides grunt work, at the very most. After all, I didn't belong to anyone anymore.

"Well, why not? We both have something to gain. You want to capture the perpetrators as much as I. Our cases are similar. So why not stay here in the Phantomhive manor? Especially when you haven't a penny

to your name and no way to get home."

"But how could I be of use? I'm just one woman."

"I'm sure if a man like Charles Whiston married you it wasn't simply because of your looks, Miss Haruka." Sebastian interjected. Which further surprised me. How...flattering! But I wondered if he was trying to make up for earlier. I'm sure he'd noticed that I had been avoiding looking his way this whole time.

"Yes...Well, it's something to consider." Ciel spoke, eyeing Sebastian warily after the strange comment. "And after all, I'm not quite sure how I feel about you leaving and reporting on my gardener's inhumane strength." Inhumane strength? And just like that, everything suddenly came rushing back to me. How I had gotten here. What had happened. Why I'd woken up in a bed that wasn't my own. Where was my hat anyway? It didn't seem appropriate to address that, so I decided to ask later.

"Ah yes, another good point," Sebastian spoke, looking my way. I wanted to avoid meeting his gaze, but it felt rude not to. "And with such a tattered reputation already, it wouldn't serve you well if we were to publish our own complaint about your trespassing." I cringed. What was this? It felt like an offer of redemption, but at the same time it didn't feel like too much of a choice either. I felt more bullied into it than anything. It was a question of choosing to ruin my public reputation even further or do something that helped him. It helped me too. But was I ready to re-open the mystery? And just how dangerous was it to go searching for these answers?

But again, I didn't feel like I had much choice. And I wouldn't be able to live with myself at the thought of ignoring the opportunity.

"The answer is obvious then." I spoke. "Let's find out the truth together."

But, even as I said that, I felt off. Even as I toasted to the occasion with him. This feeling of dread began to bubble in me. What was I getting myself into?

* * *

Please review! It's what helps me keep finding the motivation to write this.


	4. Chapter 4

"You're here again?" Bard spoke, looking up from the sink. I smiled back at him, the door clicking shut as I pressed my back against it.

"Don't tell Mister Sebastian," I spoke, a finger rising to my lips. "Now, let's get to cooking, Bard. I've got a thing or two to show you this morning!"

The days after the discussion with Ciel Phantomhive had been quite boring. I had stayed here, at first just acquainting myself with the strange people of the mansion. Maylene was the maid, and a quite clumsy one at that. There was not a day that passed that I didn't hear a dish clash to the ground. And the gardener, Finnian. I remembered him on sight. He was the kid with unearthly power. I was so...unsettled. And this was Bard. The "cook" that really couldn't cook.

Ciel and his butler Sebastian had insisted on me lazing around, being free of duty as I was a "proper" lady. But it just didn't feel right. I had never been one to be unproductive, and I didn't like just simply having tons of time to ponder the strangeness of the world. So. I had started cooking with this man named Bard to keep myself busy. And the more time I spent around him, the more interesting my days here at the Phantomhvie manor had been.

"So what do you wanna make this morning Miss Haruka?" He spoke, drawing me out my thoughts. I realized I had just sort of been staring at him, thinking about what led me here in the first place.

"Midori," I corrected. "Miss Haruka sounds far too formal. I've told you a million times too many!"

He laughed. "Not too fond of your last name?"

"Ah, it's not that," I replied. I walked further into the kitchen, checking the cabinets distractedly. As I opened and shut them, Bard came to my side, curious I suppose. I sort of tensed when I felt his body heat so close to mine, so I turned to look up at him with a bewildered look on my face.

"Say, where do you keep your flour and sugar?" I asked, offering a sheepish smile.

"Ah, this cabinet," he replied, reaching over me. He was..really close. And for some reason, it sort of caught me off guard. This musky cologne wafted to my nose, and I took in his scent for a second as his chest came close to my face. It was only for a second that it happened, but I'm sure he could tell something was wrong, because I wasn't fast to react as he pulled the sugar and flour out from the cabinet.

"Midori?" He spoke. I'd heard him at last. I blinked slowly, looking up to meet the blonde. He was holding the sugar and flour.

"Oh, sorry!" I exclaimed, laughing embarrassedly. "Thanks Bard! I must've been in another world there."

He smiled slowly. I wasn't sure why, but he didn't say anything for a second, just looking me over.

"So, what were you planning on making?" He asked, setting the ingredients down on the counter area.

"Ah...Well, I was thinking maybe black pudding and a scone. That seems nutritious enough. And quick. His morning routine starts pretty soon."

Bard nodded, his eyes lighting in excitement. "I can help!"

I shook my head. "I've seen your tactics," I chided. "I don't want that gun fire taste!"

In the past few days, my helping out became more of a cover for Bard. I'd noticed that a lot of the meals he tried to prepare...Well. They were burnt to a crisp. And I just couldn't understand why until I found the gun powder below the sink, along with some guns. Which scared the living daylights out of me, but Bard seemed like a nice guy so I didn't ask too many questions. Bu anyway, I just wanted to help him learn to cook. Because it was obvious that he was using some unorthodox methods. Under the false presumption that Bard was using a cookbook, he was getting much more credit as a cook from Sebastian. Which filled me with some strange joy for this..well. "still" stranger.

At any case, Bard was pouting now, crossing his arms stubbornly. "Well then what am I 'pposed to do?" He asked.

I looked away from him, beginning to make the batter.

"Well, I would really appreciate it if you could make the black pudding." I suggested. "It's a really easy recipe. I can tell it to you," I paused to smirk. "As long as you don't

burn it with your flame thrower."

He begrudgingly agreed. And I recounted the recipe as I continued to make the scone. I tried to keep a watchful eye on Bard as he cooked, but I couldn't be too observant with my hands so

full. I trusted that he knew what he was doing, because after a while the kitchen smelled scrumptious. It wasn't too long before breakfast was made. I pulled my prepared piece out

of the oven, as did he, and I smiled back at him

"You did great Bard! This looks awesome!" I grinned cheesily up at him. His face turned a little red, but he smiled in return.

"You think so?" he asked.

"Yeah! It looks awesome!"

We didn't revel in his success for long though. Suddenly, we could hear these footsteps just outside the kitchen. Had so much time passed already? The other servants shouldn't have been up so early! I tensed, a thought occurring to me. It could only be Sebastian. And I didn't want to be caught by him again. He'd found me in here once, and I hadn't heard the end of it from him. And I'm pretty sure Bard hadn't had too pleasant of a chat either with him. The guy kept trying to shoo me out since then.

Bard and I met eyes, faces both white with fear.

"What do we do?" I sputtered, cupping my face. Pressure and I did not mix well.

"Here!" he whispered, pushing me gently backward. I was confused for a second, wondering why he was shoving me backwards.

"Get into the pantry. There's no time for you to leave through the back door."

"W-Wait!" I whimpered, but Bard was already shoving me into the pantry, locking it up behind him, darkness enveloping around me. Well, hopefully this was a good hiding spot. And hopefully I didn't have to keep myself in here for long, because the space was fairly small. If it weren't for me being so petite and smallish, there was no way I would've successfully fit myself in here. In any case, I could hear the kitchen door creaking open, the footsteps finally finding themselves inside.

"Ah. Good morning Bard," came Sebastian's silky deep voice.

"'Morning Sebastian!" Bard had replied cheerily. There was a pause, which made me even more nervous. What were they thinking about? What was Sebastian thinking?

"Uh Hey! Don't worry about breakfast," Bard spoke. "I've got it all made right 'ere." The plates were sliding around on the counter now. Or at least I assumed by the sound of glass. Perhaps I should've taken a closer look? It's not

as if the keyhole of the pantry was impossible to see through. But I stopped myself from kneeling down when I heard Sebastian's footsteps drawing further into the kitchen.

"What a nice surprise," Sebastian replied. "And you've made this yourself, Bard?"

"Well of course!" Bard had said, his voice sounding a bit offended now. "I mean, who else would be cookin', Sebastian? It's just..That cook book you got me last Christmas turned out to be really handy."

I wasn't sure if Sebastian was entirely convinced. I couldn't see his face, but I could so clearly visualize him narrowing his eyes in suspicion, an eyebrow raising questionably. That look. There

was a silence, before I heard the familiar chuckle of Sebastian's.

"Well, it looks edible. Which is a bit of a first for you. Great work, Bard." That was a bit of back-handed compliment. But I knew Bard would've taken any compliment from the guy. He talked about Sebastian with stars in his eyes. As if he was an idol. I couldn't understand, but again, I didn't question.

"Really? Gee, thanks Sebastian!"

Making as little noise as possible, I shrunk to my knees, trying to see out of the keyhole of the door handle. They were standing beside one another. I could tell because I could see both of their backsides. Pure white uniform next to ink black. What I was seeing was their...tushies. Which admittedly, I was mildly interested in. I didn't look away at least. Both of their uniforms clung to their body in all the right places. But, I had to hand the best butt to Sebastian. It was a lot rounder. Not as flat as Bard's. Not that butts really came that handy in the bedroom.

And..not that I was thinking of bedding either one...? What kind of thought was that? Goodness. I'd made myself blush now, giggling nervously with my hand clasping over my mouth to stifle the sound.

This was the stuff girls did amongst friends. I was 21. A lady. And I was thinking about two men's butt? But I have to say, there wasn't much reason not to was there? They were both attractive men. And I was widowed. I couldn't go on for too much longer before getting stamped a prude. So why not?

I heard their conversation stop abruptly and began to get nervous. Why was that? No. They hadn't heard me in here, right? My crummy giggling must have given me away.

"Was that a little mouse I heard?" Sebastian spoke.

 _Crumbs...!_

Bard was silent at first. But then came that hearty laugh.

"A mouse? In the Phantomhive manor? That's silly even for you!" He laughed. I sighed in relief, hoping that was the end of it. Of course; Why would there be a mouse in the Phantomhive Manor? That should've given Sebastian enough reason to stop questioning. Though I was wrong. There were quick footsteps towards the door. I heard the door handle turn, and instantly I clamped my hand down on it,

trying to prevent Sebastian from opening the pantry.

"That's strange," He spoke. "This door won't come open."

But Bard didn't reply. Or if he did, I was too busy panicking to hear it. What should I do? The grip on the door was so powerful. I couldn't keep him from opening the door if he persisted. But as quickly as it had started, the quickly it ended. He took a step away from the door now, shoes clacking against concrete floor.

"How interesting. I'll have to get that door checked," Sebastian commented. I heard him take a step back. "And mice...well. Mice should be punished for trespassing. Isn't that right Bard?"

Bard didn't say too much at first. I think we were both in shock that he'd known to come to the pantry first.

"Ah...yeah." Bard had said after a while. "I'l take care of it Sebastian."

"Good to hear." The words hung in the air for a moment. And then I could hear his footsteps trailing out of the kitchen. Thank goodness. I breathed a sigh of relief. But again, those footsteps came to an abrupt stop.

Goodness. Would he charge back over here and plummet the door down? I tensed at the thought.

"Bard," He added, "If you see , can you please let her know her presence has been requested by the Young Master? I went to her chambers, and found that the Lady had "scurried" off again."

"You got it Sebastian," Bard replied, but his voice was unsure. And with that, I heard the butler finally leave. Bard came to unlock the pantry door, looking down at me, still on my knees. I was visibly distraught I'm sure.

"He knew I was in here," I blurted, my slim fingers cupping my face. "He absolutely knew, Bard. Oh my goodness! I won't hear the end of it! YOU won't hear the end of it!"

Bard knelt down, helping me up from my knees.

"Calm your nerves. It was more of a warning than anything," he replied. "And besides, this relationship helps more than hurts! What bad could come from you helping me out in the kitchen?"

"Anyway, you'd best get going through that backdoor before he comes back. I'd hate to see his reaction if he found out I was lyin' to him." I nodded in response. It was probably best I get going now. It wasn't as if I would be cooking anymore that morning, especially with that cloud of anxiety looming over me. So I started out of the kitchen, the door clicking behind me as I left.

What should I do next? Sebastian knew I had climbed out of bed, so there was no point in going back. And Bard and I had already completed breakfast. So, instead of doing the rational thing and going to go see Ciel immediately, I decided to wander the hallways for a bit. Passing some time. I mean, if I had gone there immediately, Sebastian would've known, right? Not that he didn't already know. I just sort of wanted to avoid that confrontation.

So I just sort of dilly dallied in the vast and long hallways of the manor, reveling in all the beautiful portraitry that hung along the walls. I let my feet take me where they wanted to go. Essentially losing track of both time and place. Even as the days dragged by, and I had wandered aimlessly, I had never seen this part of the manor. Or at least, never had paid as much attention to it a I was now. But after a bit, I grew curious. There were a lot of things that were strange. I had questions. How could this artwork have been restored when it underwent such great lengths of stress? Fire engulfs and destroys everything it touches.

I stopped.

So why was the painting, this particular painting of the complete Phantomhive family, in such perfect condition?

I looked at it now. Really studied it. This was so...peculiar. I reached out to touch it, wanting to see if my eyes believed me. How was this painting real? Was it genuine? Maybe it was a replica-

"Miss Haruka," I heard. I yelped in surprised, turning quickly to see Sebastian. My heart was hammering in my chest. Where in God's name had he come from?

"I've been looking for you all morning. How have you ended up on such a far side of the manor, Miss?"

"Ah...Uh," I stammered. "I was just mesmerized by the beauty of it is all." I laughed nervously. "I decided to take a morning walk.

"You've been missing since 6 AM Miss. What a long walk. Your legs must be worked to death."

He took a step closer. I took a step back, forcing a laugh.

"Of course. They're a bit wobbly. But a nice walk never hurt anyone."

His eyebrows raised.

"This wing is almost never frequented. A bit of dusting here and there, but there's not too much to see or do on this end." He looked at me with that same questionable look. Narrowed eyes, rising eyebrows.

"I beg to differ," I spoke. "This painting is quite a miraculous sight. Whoever worked to restore it must have put so much time and effort into it. It's truly amazing how extensive this person's talent was." I was getting caught up in a wind of curiosity before realizing Sebastian hadn't said anything. There was a a pause. And I wondered momentarily if I had something I shouldn't. Though, I realized Sebastian was just taking the time to look over it himself, as well as taking another step closer to me. A..really close step.

"Ah yes. It was a bit of a trial I'm sure. But nothing that capable man couldn't handle." He chuckled. I was already tense from the closing gap between us. But when I heard that familiar tone of voice. That dishonest, playfulness, I became even more nervous. It sounded... flirtatious?

"Did you...know the man?" I asked, turning to look at him.

"Of course," He replied. "He's a close friend to the young master. I know him as well as I know myself."

"But, I digress," He spoke. "The young master has been awaiting your presence for quite some time. He has important matters to discuss with you."

It was me raising an eyebrow now.

"What matters?"

"He wishes for your opinion on matters I have no charge to discuss," He replied shortly. He smiled back at me, and I'm sure I looked quite grumpy. I hated his short answer.

"Shall we?" He outstretched his hand. I sort of looked at it confusion at first, but unsurely placed my hand in his, feeling the soft, warm fabric underneath my fingertips.

He gripped my hand gently for a second. Tenderly. And then, with some unexplained aggression, suddenly pulled me closer to him. Much closer than what was appropriate. I stumbled into him because of it. And I gazed up, nervously and with all the flustered curiosity in the world. What was this? What was he doing?

And as if in response to my confused look, he leaned down, his perfect porcelain face inches away from my face to speak.

"I wouldn't want you to get lost again, Miss Haruka." He'd said. Slowly and surely. His voice was low and soft, and sent these strange chills down my body."After all, the worst things happen to us when we _scurry_ off alone."

I stood there frozen as I watched in awe at his expression. Those excited, crazy red eyes. Looking into them felt like gazing into a predatory beast. And he was so eagerly taking in my reaction. My very awkward one. Blushing would have been fine, but I could feel heat searing from my cheeks, a hot blush engulfing my face. I'm sure I was beetroot red. Why had he pulled me so close. I felt so awkward, demure, and coy; What was his purpose for making me feel this way? I was frozen, still gazing up into his eyes unsure, becoming more and more flustered. And as if to make everything worse, the memory of his round butt popped to mind.

Sebastian pulled away, still grasping my hand as if I was going to run away from him. Which, partially made sense as I had been running from him all morning. Though, similarly as our encounter had happened before, he had quickly dismissed my awkwardness and tomato red face, continuing on about his routine without a hitch. He was talking now about different paintings in the Phantomhive mansion, and the history behind each. Which, I really didn't catch a lick of. I obediently let Sebastian lead me to Ciel's office, even though my mind was somewhere much less orderly.

* * *

"Leaving for London?" I exclaimed in surprise. "I don't know, Ciel. I haven't left the country side in such a long time. I don't know if it would be a great idea to show my face."

"And why not?" Ciel spoke, reclining back in seat. "You'd be filling in for your deceased. His assistance is something that would've been required in a job like this."

"A job?" I perked up. "Is this one of your underground investigations?"'

"Yes, of course. Would I have a reason for calling upon you if it wasn't?"

"I suppose not," I spoke unsurely. "But, I am admittedly nervous. What sort of case is this?"

He leaned forward.

"The notorious prostitute killer. Jack the Ripper."

"J-Jack the Ripper?!" I exclaimed. I could feel the blood drain from my face,my soul trying to escape from my body.

"Ciel Phantomhive, to be anywhere near that sort of catastrophe endangers my very well being!"

"Yours? Why not mine? I'm just involved in the case as you would be."

"Yes, but I am a woman. A _clear_ target."

"Exactly. A _clear_ target. An even better reason to bring you along. You could become a valuable asset."

A valuable asset? This boy was willing to throw me into the crossfire?

"Ciel, I am no investigator. That was the life of my husband. Not me! I am a weak, nimble woman. I don't know that I..I have the courage for that sort of thing."

"I think you do," Ciel spoke.

"What sort of weak, nimble woman wanders off alone in the country side? You're much bolder than you give yourself credit for."

"I suppose."

"And your curiosity. Your investigate spark. You may have never pursued such a thing before, but Midori, you're not too different from Charles. You like adventure right? There's a reason he would've married you."

"I suppose..." It was the only thing I could manage to say. Maybe taking on this case with Ciel would let me feel closer to Charles. Just maybe.

"So join me and Sebastian this week." He spoke plainly. Him..and Sebastian? I didn't want to spend anymore time with _Sebastian_ than I had to. Not when I was having thoughts about his butt. Not when he was reeling me in and leaving me out to dry. But...it was necessary. I couldn't flat out tell him _No_ when he was allowing me to stay in his home. Or when this case could lead me to knowing more about Charles death. And...if he was truly right about this curiosity factor. If I really had this "investigative spark."

"We'll be leaving fairly soon," Sebastian announced. He had been standing behind the chair like a statue, and I had almost forgotten about him if it weren't for the interjection.

"So sudden? What about breakfast?"

"I'll eat it later. I want to get there as promptly as possible," Ciel spoke.

This meeting..No, this request was so sudden and abrupt. I almost feel offended he hadn't told me sooner, but then again, I had been slinking off into the kitchen the past few days. Meeting with Bard. Cooking. Ah. It felt so homely when I was around him.

"I estimate we'll be gone for at least a few days, Midori. I'd say your goodbyes. If need be."

"London should be a fun adventure." Sebastian spoke. He'd come to Ciel's side now, that smile on his face. Again. What in the world was I agreeing to?

* * *

Abrupt end to a another chapter. idk. i think I may stop writing.


	5. Chapter 5

Long time no see!

PLEASE REMEMBER TO RATE AND REVIEW

* * *

Sebastian had stuffed me in the carriage with Ciel, and we'd ridden off. I watched the mansion disappear from view as the Phantomhvie crew had waved us off. We were a bit of a long way out from our destination, so naturally, the ride there had been a bit long. I had grown tired in that span of time as Ciel wasn't much for conversation. He had been looking over paperwork like some little business mogul and had paid me no mind. Which was fine by me, as I had much to digest. A trip to London? Showing a face like mine might not be a good idea, but Ciel seemed to trust that his good name and word would defer suspicion. But, I wasn't even sure if I trusted him though. Don't get me wrong, I was truly grateful to be in his good graces; but this feeling of dread has lingered since my arrival at the Phantomhive Manor. Even as I sat in the carriage with him, I felt unnerved and even fidgeted a bit. I had never met such strange people. They made me incredibly curious why is why I figured I hadn't up and left just yet. But something deep down told me to run. I had so many questions. Like, why would he task an incompetent work force for such important duties, and most especially the butler who seemed to clean up after their messes? I couldn't dissolve the pit in my stomach when I walked around the mansion aimlessly. Things felt..off.

In a little while, we'd arrived in London, my thoughts still occupying me as I hopped out of the carriage with Ciel. As the Sebastian and Ciel walked ahead of me, I stopped here and there - once inside - and inspected the home curiously. I found it to be luxurious, even though it was a bit smaller from the actual Phantomhive Manor. I doddled behind them, paying more attention to the details of the home, noticing it looked untouched. Dusty. But, much more authentic than the Phantomhive manor. This home felt like a real one. If that makes any sense at all. I didn't get the feeling it was trying to be something it was not. I couldn't understand it, but as my eyes rested on the portraits, I could see it's weathered look and dustiness and was comforted by the thought.

Hardly noticing I had stopped where I stood, I heard the beckon of Sebastian's voice and looked up to see the butler watching me expectantly. I quickly hurried along behind them.

"This home is much different than the manor," I commented nervously, my eyes sliding away from Sebastian's and to Ciel.

Ciel shrugged, obviously disinterested in the comment. He was busy mumbling to himself about the crowds in London. So Sebastian chimed in, and I begrudgingly looked over to him, hoping I didn't look visibly uncomfortable.

"It's much quieter, isn't it?" He smiled, so innocently. "We should be able to enjoy a bit of peace and quiet."

"Perhaps," I replied, smiling sheepishly up at the demon. At the top of the staircase, Sebastian pulled open the door for the two of us, only to be met with 3 strangers filing through bookshelves and cupboards hurriedly.

Seemingly in search I suppose. I'm sure there was shock between the three of us at what lay behind the door. Ciel and Sebastian, as well as myself had just stood there stunned for a second. I reacted the quickest, taking a step

behind Sebastian's taller form to hide myself. These were people of nobility! People who may have already heard about my expulsion from the Whiston manor. As far as they were concerned, I was a gold-digger and murderer.

Ciel was upset to say the least and demanded to know why the three of them were here in his townhome. To which, they replied something about how interesting it was that the Queen's Watchdog

had reappeared. I remained hidden behind Sebastian, until one of the males in the room called out to me.

"Are you accompanied by a Lady today, Ciel?" The male had spoke.

"Ah, yes," Ciel spoke. Sebastian had moved away from in front of me, exposing me to the other individuals in the room. "Miss Midori Haruka, the wife of the late Charles Whiston," Sebastian explained, bowing slightly as he introduced me to the others. I felt faint, my heart beating faster than what was normal. I wish I'd had at least some time before hand to properly prepare myself for socializing,but alas I was having to bow awkwardly and greet as nervous as I was.

"My!" The Lady in red exclaimed, regarding me with shock.

"Ah, the exotic and beautiful Midori Haruka from America?" The foreign looking man approached me now, taking his hand in his own. He rose my hand up and pressed it to his lips, bowing at the waist. "You were quite the celebrity just a few years earlier, weren't you? As well as quite the scandal." Ciel chimed in now, as I had yet to say anything. I was in a shock.

"Those matters are not of importance now," He stated. "Come. We have much more relevant matters to discuss this morning." Ciel and Sebastian waltzed further inside of the room, the boy plopping down in one of those cozy love seats and Sebastian beginning to ready tea. This man who still held my hand in his escorted me inside, having me sit down beside him on another couch.I was uncomfortable with his forwardness and incredibly awkward because of it. In a short bit, tea was served to us all. And with their thirsts quenched, we began to discuss the Jack the Ripper Case. Well, they did. I sort of was just awkwardly taking up space beside this person I had come to figure out was Lau. Between their conversation, I had learned the Lady was Madame Red and her butler was Grell. At some point, the idea of actually visiting the crime scene was proposed. Which Ciel had full-heartedly volunteered himself to do, much to my displeasure. I have a very weak stomach for gore.

* * *

After a bit of rushing around that day and a strange encounter with someone called the Undertaker, the lot of us were back at the townhouse. This time, armed with a bit more knowledge about the enemy than before. I had dutifully taken notes, as Ciel did mention he expected to play a part in this take down of Jack the Ripper. But I was far too slow to come to my own conclusions, as Sebastian had already completely narrowed the primary suspect down by the time we had arrived home. It blew us away to see how much work he had accomplished in such a short span of time! Aleister Chambers, the Viscount of Druitt. I do not think I had heard of him but once or twice in passing. He would soon be having a party, the last party of the Season.

Madame Red thought it good to attend in disguise. Which would have been fine, if I was not the center of the plan. Now, I found myself in a private room with Sebastian, who was approaching me with a measuring tape.

He had meant to give us privacy, escorting me inside the room. After all, I would be in nothing more than a chemise and pantaloons. Which at first had been fine. Sebastian had unlaced my billowing dress and let everything all to the floor at my ankles. Which was fine. I didn't feel insecure about being near naked..At first. There was a mirror that I inspected myself in for the briefest of moments, reveling in the sensation of being free of the constricting corset. But when Sebastian took a step closer and came into view into the mirror, the reality of being near naked seemed to resonate in my mind.

"Shall we?" He said simply, obviously insisting on the measurements. I turned to look at him, slightly flushed. But I hoped it wasn't too noticeable. It was quiet. Still. I could not even hear the banter of the others in this room. It was just me and him in the quiet of this private room. I was not sure how I felt about being alone with the butler, as our last two encounters had been ones that left me gaping like a fish out of water, like a school girl who was swooning over a boy. Nevertheless, I stepped forward in his direction, not saying much but meeting his eyes instead. He seemed to smile at this.

"Miss Haruka, please stay still as I do this," He spoke, taking a few more steps towards me. I instinctively took a step back. He looked down at me, the faintest hint of surprise in his features before his expression returned to calm and stoic.

"I promise you I will not do anything inappropriate, Miss Haruka." He spoke, a hint of playfulness in his voice. I tensed, looking up at him a bit more flustered than before.

"Now," He spoke, "Please raise your arms. I will be measuring your bust first."

"Okay," I replied unsurely, raising my arms. He took a step closer. An unnecessary step closer. I looked up at him, expectantly as he wasn't doing anything, and yet...I watched him for second longer and he was distractedly fiddling with the measuring tape, his attention elsewhere. On me. His crimson red eyes were fixated on my wide grey eyes. His gaze was unwavering. The only way I could think to describe it was..smoldering. I was admittedly, captivated by him for a moment before I felt the cool crisp air at my body and realized I was half-naked. At this realization, I was nervous. But he seemed to pick up on this, quickly, a small smile tugging at his lips as he readied the measuring tape around my body.

His movements were slow, as his hands slowly dragged around my body, ghosting over my breasts. I looked anywhere but at him as he did this, but I could still feel his scathing gaze. Measuring tape in hand.

"Thirty six and a half inches," He spoke. He pulled away, the stoic expression back on his face. He went on measuring me, watching my facial expressions until he could read the numbers off to me. I felt so awkward and helpless next to him, silently blushing as he went away at his work.

"Lovely. Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Haruka." He spoke, retracting the measuring tape. He stuffed in into an inner coat pocket, looking down at me with a chipper, happy go lucky expression.

"Allow me to assist you in redressing." I nodded silently, my cheeks still scorched red I'm sure. I was utterly embarrassed at how this butler had been toying with me. His light touches on my body, his incredibly flirtatious demeanor..I couldn't stand it. When he assisted me in putting back on my dresses and petticoats, Sebastian did so in a way that was much more professional and less..."sensual," than he had just been. My mine was still elsewhere, still stuck on the way he'd handled that whole situation. After a bit of silence he began to speak to me again.

"I shall make preparations for a dress to be tailored specifically for you under the name Margaret Harding. You will answer to that name tomorrow evening during the ball," He spoke.

"Margaret Harding," I repeated to myself. "Okay." The words were hard to say. I was still a bit flustered.

"You are to seduce the Viscount, earning a way inside one of his secret parties to investigate."

"Seduce? I'm no seductress," I replied hesitantly. I looked up at him, flustered at the suggestion.

"Nonsense. I'm sure when you met your late husband you were not just a blushing, flustered mess were you?" It took me a second to process what he had said, and well. I couldn't help but become a blushing, stuttering mess at his suggestion. With that, Sebastian was turning on his heel. "I shall prepare dinner tonight, Miss Haruka. I would suggest you join the company of the Young Master whilst I do so." It was an obvious dig at my tendency to end up in the kitchen back at the manor. But I couldn't manage a smart reply. I just sort of stood there frozen, even as he left.

The butler was flirting with me, wasn't he?


	6. Chapter 6

DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!

* * *

The evening of the ball was upon us and I had been fitted into the dress, this time having requested Madame Red to help me into my corset, being unable to fathom the thought of being s vulnerable around Sebastian again. The dress was truly beautiful. It was lilac in color, fitting tightly around my midsection and billowing out at my waist. All modesty aside, I did look truly breathtaking in the dress. It fit me to a T, glittering and flowing around me with each step I took.

"Midori, you are sure to snag the attention of the Viscount in this dress," Madame Red crowed. We were in the carriage on our way there to the event, Sebastian briefly giving us all a rundown of what was to happen. Her interjection had slightly annoyed him; I could tell by the look on his face.

I forced a smile in acknowledgement of her comment, my hands folded neatly in my lap. Truthfully, I felt like running away. Even as pretty as I may have felt. This individual was a suspected murder, and had gotten away with so much crime in such a short span of time. Why did this butler and thirteen year old child feel as if they could protect me in the event things went awry?

The only thing I suppose was comforting was Ciel's appearance. He too had undergone measures for a disguise, going as far as cross-dressing.

The carriage came to a stop, and we were all filing out one after the other, Madame Red rehearsing our roles.

"Midori dear, you and Ciel are my nieces from the country," She spoke. "Sebastian, you are their tutor." At the sound of this I saw Ciel gnash his teeth. I hardly stifled a giggle.

"Well hopefully I will not have to make too much of an appearance," Ciel retorted, looking up at me sharply. "I trust that you know what you're doing?"

Hardly, I thought to myself. But I nodded instead, trying to shoot him a reassuring smile.

"Shall we then?" Sebastian spoke, offering his hand to me. I begrudgingly took it, letting him lead me into the party. I took this chance to inspect my surroundings. Noble women of all sorts of dress littered the dance floor, accompanied by their dates and friends I suppose.

I got so caught up in looking around at the women that it reminded me of my own strife. My Charles. Where could he be now?

"Mar-gar-et," Sebastian spoke, making sure to pronounce each syllable. He was snapping his fingers in front of him, trying to draw me out of the trance I had momentarily gone into. I looked up, focusing on him, but with a pout. It was quite rude to snap at someone wasn't it?

"We must find the Viscount, my Lady," he spoke, taking my hand in his. "Let us dance."

I looked up at him, brows furrowed in confusion.

"Dance? For what purpose?" I asked, slightly flustered. I met his eyes for the first time tonight, cringing inwardly at the idea of dancing with him.

"What better way to navigate the dance floor in search of him than dancing, my Lady?" He spoke. I hardly had time to protest before he was pulling me out onto the dance floor - wide eyed and flustered as I had been many times before around him. I made sure to steady my hand on his shoulder. Our fingers quickly interlocked.

"We shall move around the dance floor this way," He spoke, his eyes leaving mine. They were scanning around curiously, presumably in search of the Viscount. I privately hoped he would not find him immediately; I was not keen on meeting this murder. In fact, I would much rather have been the back up, but I suppose there was more value to the head of a family than there was too some widowed disgrace such as I.

The music began, and I stumbled as he took the first step forward, even audibly gasping.

"Oh, My Lady, you do know how to dance I hope?" He laughed. I couldn't help but blush, brow furrowing.

"O-Of course I do!" I retorted, my fingers locking tightly with Sebastian's. "I-I just wasn't prepared."

I was not as awkward as one might be believe me to be. Although I looked quite flustered looking between my feet and his face, I was a natural at ballroom dancing. I had only done it a few hundred times with Charles at parties such as these.

Quickly, I got into step with him. His syle of dance was somehow different from Charles. I almost felt as if I were nonchalantly floating along the dance floor with him.

"Ah. You move gracefully. As expected of you of course, Miss Haruka." He spoke. I was shocked to hear the compliment, finally meeting his eyes.

"Of course!" I sputtered, my lips twitching into a sheepish smile. "What fun would I be at parties if I didn't at least know how to dance?"

The butler chuckled at this.

"Not much at all I suppose, mistress."

The dance came to an end, as quickly as it had started it had ended. My eyes scanned around the dance floor as our movements slowed, searching for the Viscount again. Though, we both turned at the sound of a small applause. I turned to see a man in all white with striking jade eyes, dragging themselves slowly up my body. I stiffened at this gaze, flush rushing to my face. It was entirely obvious what he was interested in.

"You danced quite lovely, Miss." The blonde haired man drawled.

"I shall go fetch you something to drink," Sebastian said quickly, bowing at the waist. And at that, he was quickly walking off, giving us privacy. I secretly wished he had stayed by my side. That the dance had lasted longer and I had been able to stay close to him.

"Ah thank you for your generous compliment Viscount!" I chirped. ACK! What was I supposed to say? I hoped my panic was written on my face. He took a few steps forward, and it took everything that I had to keep my feet grounded into the floor.

"Are you having fun, little robin?" He spoke, gently grabbing my hand. He pressed his lips to my gloved knuckles, chuckling as he did. I could only watch him for a second before I had to think up some reply. I'm sure I looked quite flustered.

"Oh, o-of course!" I squeaked, hand rising to my cheek instinctively. "There's so many in attendance, and everyone is beautifully dressed. But no one could compare to you my Lord." Where were these words and boldness coming from? I was not usually so well spoken.

His brows raised, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Oh?"

"A-Ah, of course. I've been waiting for a chance to speak with you all night." I paused, blushing. What was I supposed to say? How could I discreetly ask about the "secret" parties?

"I wanted to know if there were more fun things to do..with you My Lord."

His smirk only grew wider at this. I could see the dishonesty in his eyes. It almost mirrored Sebastian's dishonest looks. I tried not to shudder at this similarity.

"You want something more amusing to do? My, what a pampered princess you are, Mistress." His hand had somehow snaked over and found itself on my waist, pulling me closer to his body. His lips were at my ear now, his gloved fingers ever so slowly traveling further down. Internally, I was pleading for help. Anything! This actually far worse than last night when Sebastian had taken my measurements.

"Do you know of something more interesting to do?" I asked, pulling away from him a bit. He only pulled me closer, cupping my face in his gloved hand.

"Of course, darling. I'm happy to show you."

"Show me what?" I asked in a small voice. I was genuinely curious; What did he intend to show me? Dear god, what if he really was some murderer? Had I just agreed to go into his murdering chambers?

He took my hand, slowly leading me away from the party. As he lead me up a flight of stairs, I couldn't help but panic. I looked around the ball, trying to find the party I had come with but in my frantic state I could hardly focus on a thing! Where was Ciel? Sebastian? Madame Red, Lau? Did they see where I was going? Where they going to help me, or were they content to dispose of me if he really was the murderer?

The door at the top of the stairs creaked open, and the Viscount led me into an incredibly dim lit room. Immediately I noticed there was a smell in the room and raised my hand to cover my nose. But it was already too late. My vision blurred. The last thing I saw was the Viscount smiling down perversely at me as I was reduced to my knees.

* * *

A little while later, I woke. Bound by ropes, and blindfolded by some silken fabric. My first instinct was to scream, but as my hearing came back to me, I heard a voice speaking rather close to me.

"She's a beautiful specimen," I heard. I recognized that voice..! "Rare steely gray eyes, and exotic blue hair. She is _truly_ not of this country," It was the Viscount's voice. It only took a moment to figure out he was talking about me as if I were some item at market.

"You may enjoy her as decoration or a pet. Or,I'd imagine she'd make a wonderful _toy_."

There was laughter at this suggestion. I suddenly felt sick.

"I am also happy to sell individual parts of her."

This really was an auction. It all literally came into view as I felt the blindfold fall from eyes. A black market auction. And I was the sale item. I started to squirm where I sat, but the bindings kept me from moving around far too much. I looked at the crowd, feeling truly pathetic and small as they bidded and laughed amongst themselves

I wanted to call for help terribly bad, but who was there to call? Absolutely no one could save me from my predicament now. I was stuck in this bloody situation. I was going to be sold.

"Let's start the bidding at three hundred guinea!"

It was over. I was going to be sold off. This was worse than death. The thought of being a toy.

A play thing. I gave up my struggling. Shoulders slumping. Accepting defeat. But almost as soon as I did, I saw the room go dark.

Blood curdling screams filled the room. I could hear the Viscount shout something. I couldn't see a darned thing. Until, the candles magically relit themselves. I was in disbelief when I saw Sebastian standing amongst the collapsed bodies. He was straightening jacket nonchalantly as if the scuffle had been nothing.

"Always getting lost, aren't we? You really are like a little mouse." He chuckled breathlessly. The butler approached the stage, slowly. I watched him unsurely, truthfully fearful of this man now. What had he just done to all these people? Had he killed them? How did he know to find me here?

"What did you do..What did you do to these people?" I spoke.

"Oh," He said, "They're simply sleeping." He approached the cage I was retained in, kneeling down to inspect. Sleeping?!

"A key would be nice," He murmured to himself. I was still wide eyed, shifting uncomfortably around inside. The next thing he did I could hardly describe. The butler moved to wrap his hands around the bars of the cage, moving them effortlessly aside. I couldn't believe my eyes.

"Good work nevertheless, Miss Haruka." He cooed, helping me up to my feet.

I could hardly speak, awe-struck. So curious and terrified at the same time of this man.

"I hardly did anything but get captured," I murmured timidly. My eyes never left his. "But, he's auctioning women off here wholly and in parts..." I trailed off, still studying Sebastian curiously.

"Ah. Very good," He spoke, effortlessly freeing me of my bindings.

"Sebastian, are you from a Circus?" That was the only plausible explanation for his endless power. The butler stopped for the briefest of moments, eyes flickering over to me, before he just smiled. A smile that led to a light chuckle.

"No, I'm just simply one hell of a butler." He replied shortly. "We should depart soon. Scotland Yard will be here shortly."

I was dissatisfied with his short answer, but there was no time to protest. He scooped me up, holding my lithe body against his own in a bridal style.

"Shall we?" He drawled, meeting my wide eyes. I was flustered once again, being held so close to him. He, without any warning at all, practically glided out the nearest window, flying through the air until we landed onto a nearby rooftop.

"S-Sebastian!" I exclaimed, clutching his neck. I looked down unsurely at the height we were at, feeling even more sick.

"Do not worry," he spoke. "I won't let you fall." I knew he wouldn't, but I was still afraid of falling, no matter what reassurance Sebastian gave me. I found myself gripping him tighter, drawing even closer to him so that I felt some sort of safety.


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you for the reviews and follows! :) I've been enjoying writing this!

As always please don't forget to review!

 **/MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING! /** [rape mention]

* * *

We woke to horrible news. It was inconceivable that the Viscount was Jack the Ripper, as the murderer had struck again just last night, within the time frame in which I made his "acquaintance." We all felt cheated. Ciel shook with dissatisfaction as he looked at the headline. Sebastian was as stoic as ever. It was the evening after that I had been given a peculiar request by Sebastian.

The evening was wet and rainy. I had remained in my chambers that night, taking solace in the small span of lonesome time I had. I sat at the vanity in the room, watching water droplets run down the window pane and listening to the chatter outside of my door when I heard someone approach. There was a knock at the door.

"Miss Haruka," Sebastian spoke. My heart lept. Why was he coming to my bedroom?

I rose to my feet.

"C-Coming!" I stammered. I was quickly unlatching the door, peeking outside the crack of the door to look up at the butler.

I still must've looked so awestruck by him. I stared at his face, studying him for a second. Some mix of fear and fascination bubbling inside of me. The thoughts of last night had not yet left my mind. How could he have such strength to move metal? To paralyze a crowd of people? He stood behind the door, as serious as ever. His features were stony. That dishonest playful nature was nowhere to be seen in his demeanor.

"Ah..Um. I'm not very decent," I admitted, pulling the door closer to my body. I was presentable, but I certainly did not feel quite put together. "Would you like to come in?"

"I wouldn't deem that appropriate," he spoke shortly. "I have come to tell you of the arrangements made for your departure." I raised a brow at this.

"Departure?" I spoke.

"Yes," He spoke. "The Young Master would prefer that you return to the manor in order to ensure your safety."

I couldn't help but stare at him for a second dumbly, processing what he had said. My safety? Why was this a concern now?

"I…" I started. I was confused. The thought of returning to the manor sounded nice in theory. I would be home comfortably. Not to mention, Baldroy was there. An individual I had grown quite fond of spending time with. But..There was a more important mission here, wasn't there? I had a duty to carry out my husband's obligations. If this was something he may have been involved in. And surely if there was some clue to where he lay, I would gladly stay here in London.

"I appreciate the kind thought, but I would like to stay put here." I spoke. I stopped him before he spoke again. "I-I mean I appreciate h-his concern, definitely! But I'm coming to find I am not as weak and nimble a woman as I thought I was. It has been very enlightening trip and..intriguing." I lingered on the last word, studying Sebastian again.

"Sebastian," I started. But stopped. I couldn't ask him again. He would just evade the answer, as he had last night. I just wanted to know who he was. Where he came from. But the butler talked in circles, there was no knowledge to be found in that.

"W-What else can I do to help the case?" I asked instead.

"Ah, Miss Haruka. You have done just enough. Your husband was an informant, was he not? And you gathered information based on our previous have come to a new conclusion and we shall take care of the issue. My recommendation is to remain inactive here if you do not wish to return to manor just yet."

I tried not to grimace at this answer, but it seemed there was no sweet talking my way in continuing to investigate with them. Though, I did wonder why he and Ciel were intent on keeping me out of further matters. Had I not proven myself capable last night? I couldn't help but be incredibly curious.

"Very well," I sighed finally. "I.. suppose I shall get decent enough to take the carriage home. There's no use in doddling around here idly."

"Very well. It shall await you outside when you are ready, Miss Haruka." The butler dismissed himself, and I closed and bolted the door.

I sighed wearily. I did not want to be dressed.I did not want to leave just yet when I felt there were still things to do here, but I supposed my duty was over for the time being. I felt I had not been incredibly helpful, even with last night's investigation. I had not done the investigative portion Sebastian suggested that I did. Sebastian was quick to compile the information, to pinpoint the Viscount as being a suspect. All I did was play a role in which I had been kidnapped and almost auctioned off. Some "informant" I was. So to say the least, I was not satisfied, but there was no helping it. I prepared myself quickly, gathering my things and half-heartedly waltzing out into the living area. I had noticed now it was quiet, the candles unlit. I could only hear the creaking of floorboards down the hall in the room Ciel rested in. I suppose they were preparing for bed. A few steps forward, and I found that Madame Red and Lau were no longer idling around in the common area. It must have been later than I anticipated.

I decided to slip out quietly and without the fuss of Sebastian helping me as I had a sort of detour to make. Quietly, I descended the stairs, every few steps looking back up to see if the anyone else was following me. The front door creaked open, and I quietly slipped out onto the wet porch.

I approached my escort, beckoning him to come closer as I whispered the place I'd rather him take me. Then, without a hiss or argument I was off. Leaving this townhouse in London and going somewhere much more familiar.

The carriage was quite cushy and posh, and I found myself quickly becoming comfortable.I watched the water slide down the windows of the carriage lazily, a trance coming over me it seemed.

A carriage ride later, I found myself in the country. A quiet farmhouse.

 **SPLOSH.** The wet muddy ground beneath my feet felt none too good as I stepped out of the carriage. I looked up at the townhouse. Unlit. Dark and mysterious at this time of night. I had been hiding out here, having collected my things once being expelled from the Whiston manor and finding myself out here. It was a property in which Charles had bought for the two of us quite some time ago. It had been quite fortunate that this property had been kept a secret. So, in his absence, I had resided here. Uncomfortably, of course. It was a bit of a fixer-upper. But a roof above my head had been better than nothing. Nostalgia and homesickness had not brought me here though. I had bigger concerns.

It was 'supposedly' a vacation home Charles would find himself visiting often. Now, I had different suspicions. The man led a different life I suppose, and his secrets lay here, somewhere.

"Are you okay alone here Miss?" My escort spoke as he assisted me out of the carriage.

"Yes, thank you for your concern," I replied shortly, shooting the man a reassuring smile. He carried a lantern, illuminating his features I'd neglected to inspect earlier. Steely blue eyes stared down at me. Thick, wavy, gold hair was cut short and neatly smoothed back underneath his large hat. His skin was pale and freckled. I stared at him for just a little longer than what was appropriate, feeling a pit in the bottom of my stomach. But I decided to ignore this strange feeling, and give the man a reassuring smile and be on my merry way.

My intent was simple. Charles had a private study. I remembered that. And I remembered he'd not once let me enter. I hadn't entered in my time being here as I wanted to respect his wishes. But the possibility of being able to find some trace to Charles was too great. I had to see what lay beyond those doors. I strode inside the house, ascending the stairs to come to the doors of the office. I was noticing how incredibly dark it was in here. Not a speck of light from outside dared to pour in. I made quick to pull open the curtains on either side of the room, needing the moon's light for this perilous task.

With the light of the moon, I could see how much lay before me. There were books upon books upon books inside, strode every which way on the ground, as if someone had ransacked the place. This was none too comforting. Because whomever had been here before me obviously had the same intent. Nevertheless, I got to my knees, sifting through books and records that lay across the floor.

I must have been there for an eternity looking through all of the stuff that lay strewn across the office. Though, everything that I looked through led me to the same were public records. Newspapers that dated back 3 years ago. Letters. Journals. And not all of these exactly belonged to Charles. Some of the journals I came across were of other nobles. Many of whom had been participating in occult or illegal practices. This collection consisted of a compilation of information. Charles really was an informant of some sort.

But...None of this helped me understand where my husband was. What had happened to him. I still felt as if he had up and left, without much of a trace; and none of what I found were clues. Just information. Pointless useless information!

Suddenly, I heard creaking in the house. A loud crack outside of the study. This wouldn't normally be unusual, but I could tell it wasn't just the house whining. I completely froze, even as the door creaked open. Even as I looked the escort from earlier dead in the eye.

We were both silent. I couldn't muster up anything to say. But I could tell he did not mean me well. He was a completely different person, eyes boring into me. His hands clenched and unclenched. The man was approaching me now; with each step the house was creaking beneath his feet. I couldn't even move. My heart raced all I wanted to do was be thousands of miles away from here. From this complete stranger.

He took a few more steps forward, and I finally mustered the strength to get to mine, tripping over my skirt. He took this opportunity to reach out and grab me by the hair.

"Don't touch me!" I yelled, shirking away from the man. He paused for a moment, staring at me in surprise. I rushed away from him, practically running over to the desk to find some sort of weapon. But not before stumbling over the miscellaneous items amongst the ground.

On the top of the desk, I had saw a pistol. Dusty and all, but maybe it had rounds in it. It had to.

 _"Bitch!"_ The man yelled. He advanced upon me quicker than I imagined he would, strong broad hands shoving me roughly to the ground. My head hit a stack of books. I felt sick. My vision blurred. With the impact, I really just couldn't muster the strength to push him off of me now, and he had fully taken advantage of this. One hand was pressing my shoulder into ground, keeping me from moving around too much. The other he was using to haphazardly pulling my dress apart.

"Stop it! Please don't do this!" I cried. I couldn't do more but scream at him. God _no_. Not here. The man ignored me, his hand slowly making its way up the length of my leg until suddenly, he stopped. He looked down at me, blue eyes wide in surprise. Suddenly, those steely eyes were lifeless, and the man was falling over onto me. He twitched and writhed on top of me before going completely still.

Impaled. The man..had been impaled. I looked before me in horror to see a knife lodged in the back of the man's head. Blood oozing down from the wound and coating the wavy blonde ran like a stream down his hair, down his neck. I couldn't believe my eyes. I didn't want to anyway. I had never before seen something so horrific. Not even in my worst nightmares. I knew I was seeing something my eyes won't ever be able to erase. A choked cry escaped me, my immediate reaction was to push the dead man off of me.

I tore my eyes away from the sight, finding the all-too-familiar butler in the doorway now. My heart skipped a beat, my body going cold. How had he found me way out here?

"I didn't imagine the escort would be such a foul dog," He spoke, stepping effortlessly over the clutter amongst the floor. I tensed as he approached. Sebastian had just killed a man. Sebastian had just killed a man right before my eyes.

The butler looked around, a small look of disdain at the appearance of the study until he met eyes with me.

"You came here searching for answers about your husband, I assume?" He spoke.

"..Yes," I spoke, after a brief pause. I lowered my gaze. He...killed a man.

"I thought you may become curious," Sebastian replied. "I knew to find you here."

I didn't say anything, still stunned.

"He is quite a difficult man to find. Even my own investigation turned up short."

I looked up. "Your own investigation?"

"Yes, of course," Sebastian spoke. "The Young Master doesn't hire anyone without having previously investigated their character of course."

"..Hired?" I spoke.

"Yes. On behalf of the young master, we would like to extend to you a working position at our manor." I was taken aback. Processing everything he had just said. Everything he had just did. He'd been investigating me? My husband?

"It's not safe to stay here of course. It is quite apparent someone has been here in your absence. Not to mention having crooked individuals such as himself making their way here." Sebastian stepped forward. Past me and striding to the desk, and reappearing before me with the gun in hand.

"Of course, this is your decision. as I understand if you would like the freedom of being an independent woman here. But," Hand on the trigger, he shot in the opposite direction of us. Or at least attempted to. The gun was empty.

"I'm not sure how much good this will do you," Sebastian spoke. He dropped it the ground flippantly, turning to look down at me. A small smile on his face. He outstretched a gloved hand in my direction.

I..didn't know what to do at first. Just processing information now. This evening had gone so awry. I had come to the country and had not found a ounce of knowledge about Charles. But I had discovered more about this butler. Knowing that Sebastian had the capacity to kill...If tonight wasn't a confirmation that Sebastian was truly a man to be feared, what was? In the end, however, Sebastian had protected me from some predator, but even now I still found myself staring into the eyes of another predatory beast.

But..even still. Despite all logic, I took Sebastian's hand in my own. I'm not sure why I did this. I was scared.I felt the adrenaline pumping through my veins, heart beating faster. My grip tightened on Sebastian's hand as I got to my feet. Our eyes never left each other's. And I could just feel the intensity between us as we stood there in the dark. His expression was unreadable. But I'm sure I looked as terrified as I felt.

"Very good," He chirped. "We've created the perfect position for you, Miss Haruka."

He saw the shock on my face before I could hide it. A small smile played on his lips.

"I'd like to welcome you as the Phantomhive pastry-cook."


	8. Chapter 8

I hope you guys enjoy the new chapter! :)

* * *

I still couldn't understand it myself, but I had agreed. Maybe it was because of fear that Sebastian may kill me if I didn't agree to the offer or out of simple desperation, but I decided that I would take on this job at the Phantomhive Estate. Late that night,I agreed to let Sebastian escort me to the manor. We had waited out the rain at my request, as I was not quite comfortable having Sebastian escort me in the horrible downpour and this gave me time to process everything that had just happened. The scene replayed over and over in my head. The way I could pinpoint the moment the man had suffered a fatal blow. When I saw the light leave his eyes.

Unfortunately, the rain did not let up for long, as a few moments into the trip the rain started again.

Upon our arrival, I was surprisingly overwhelmed by the appearance of the home, despite having seen it before. I suppose knowing this was my permanent one for the time being had become such an extremely incredible reality. This was...nice.

But, I still couldn't erase the image of Sebastian so ruthlessly killing the man earlier, who had been close to defiling me. Sure, I had questions before about Sebastian. Like, how could he move steel bars without breaking a sweat and paralyze a crowd of people? But..how could he kill without a second thought? I had thought about it many times over in my head and ultimately I came to the same conclusion. If Sebastian hadn't come for me, who knew what that brute may have done to me. Would he have killed me after he'd had his way with me? Kidnapped me? Tortured me? I was thankful that it hadn't taken any of those paths. But I felt guilty for not being as grateful as I could've been. But the way that Sebastian had referred to the man as a foul dog and stepped over his body as if it were apart of the clutter on the floor haunted me. Processing all that had happened had proved to be a difficult task.

The carriage door came flying open, Sebastian awaiting outside with an intense look. Annoyed almost. I stiffened immediately, heart racing in my chest. Even a gasp had escaped me.

"The rain is quite heavy still Miss Haruka. We should make haste."

...Right. I had left the man standing in the rain a good minute I'm sure. So petrified and wrapped up in my own thoughts, I had barely noticed the carriage had come to a stop.

"I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed, stumbling up from my seat. I scrambled to my feet, bumbling out of the carriage disgracefully like some silly fool.

"Allow me to shield you from the elements, Miss Haruka." I barely had enough time to react before Sebastian was taking off his coat, wrapping it around my form. "I apologize for these poor accommodations," He spoke. "I didn't expect such a downpour this evening."

His coat was large and long in size. It was..far too big. Sebastian had practically cocooned the jet black coat around me and I found that I was completely buried in it, my face the only thing visible in this jacket, that really felt more of a coat the way he had fitted it around me. His eyes were wide for just a moment before his lips twitched at the sides, curling up into an obviously crooked smile.

"My, you are quite a bit smaller than I had imagined," He chuckled, eyes glinting playfully. "This will do however." He said this as he circled behind me, his chest at my back. Gloved hands held the jacket tightly around me.

"Quickly now, Miss Haruka." He urged.

"Ah! But Sebastian you're going to get incredibly wet." I exclaimed. I was completely flustered.

"This is why I said quickly," He repeated. "Besides, I would hate to embarrass you in your current state." I hesitated, tossing over the statement in my head. He had a valid point. My dress was in shambles and I looked disorderly as ever. At his now second request I made hace inside of the house, wet turf sploshing beneath our feet. Sebastian held tightly to the jacket all the way inside, pulling it away from me as soon as he was able to lead me to the front door.

"Why go to so much trouble?" I asked quietly, eyes averting from him.

"Why not?" Sebastian countered, his back to me now as the door clicked closed. "You are the Lady Whiston, even in spite of his absence, are you not?"

Not anymore. But I said nothing in response.

"I am more than happy to extend my service to a friend of the Young Master's," He went on, shooting me a warm smile. The butler had turned to face me now, and I could see he was completely soaked.

"S-Sebastian!" I exclaimed. "Please, you should take these off. You'll get sick. Aren't you cold?" I rose my hands up as if to start helping him undress, but the butler quickly grabbed a firm hold

of my hands, pulling me gently towards him.

"You needn't worry, Miss Haruka. Why not go up to your room whilst I take care of this?" I retracted from him, visibly embarrassed. Why had I just prepared to do that? He wasn't Charles.

"S-Sorry. Of course. Um. I will make my way upstairs then."

There was a room readied for me. A different one from when I had been here the first time. I noticed this one was much more posh, apparently by request of Ciel. He wanted for me to be accommodated comfortably despite my newfound stature as a pastry cook.I really couldn't understand how these two were willing to go for such lengths for me - a complete stranger - but I was nothing short of thankful.

"Is this room suitable, Miss Haruka?" Sebastian spoke, picking idly at the fire place.

"More than suitable," I spoke, looking around the room eagerly. "But, do the other servants have accommodations like these?"

"Similar. But not quite. The Young Master would like that you be comfortable."

My eyes dropped to the ground, trained on a point far from Sebastian.

"I couldn't possibly accept this sort of treatment...I can never repay him."

"Ah, of course you can." Sebastian spoke. "Very simply in fact. Please always serve the Young Master earnestly and full heartedly."

Earnestly and full heartedly. Was that how he described killing a man?

"Outwardly," He continued, "My Lord has still requested your services as the Lady Whiston in underworldly cases. He believes that you have a natural curiosity and investigative skills that make you befitting."

Normally I would have said something in protest, but I found myself unable to. I'm not sure. I felt..numb. I felt strange.

"I prefer that you would not refer to me as a Whiston," I spoke. "That name has been long been ripped away from me."

"Yes m'am," He spoke. "Would you prefer that I remain addressing you as Miss Haruka?" I nodded simply in response.

"Very well," He spoke. "In a matter of days, a tailor will come to fit you for a proper working outfit, as well as outerwear. But in the meantime, I have taken a gown from Maylene to accommodate you for the night." I could tell Sebastian was going over a list in his mind.

"I will leave you to rest for the evening, but I will come fetch you in the morning for training."

"Ah, none needed," I finally said. "I have baked many times in the past."

"This was not was I was referring to." Sebastian reached into his coat pocket, pulling out the gun from earlier. "Do you know how to shoot a weapon, Miss Haruka?"

For a good moment there, I was frozen, my eyes locked onto the hand gun he had just pulled nonchalantly out of his pocket. I was stiff, silent. It was the hand gun from earlier that night. The one from Charles's desk.

"The idea of using a weapon like that…" I murmured. "How can you talk so lightly?"

"A gun does not always have to be a deadly weapon. It would be good to know how to protect yourself in the event we become separated."

I felt something I could only describe as sparks chase up my spine at the sound of that. A gun was almost always deadly. He was very kindly trying to tell me, I'm sure, that I needed to be prepared to kill.

If I could recall correctly, Charles had said something to the same effect just before he went missing.

My stomach flopped. I felt sick to my stomach almost instantaneously with the realization. Charles..Did he know he was going to go missing? That we would be separated? We had the same conversation, I remembered it so suddenly and so clearly. And Charles had said the same words so plainly, in the same way Sebastian had. Over tea I think? That was Charles's way; he was so casual about matters such as these and fascinated with the smaller things in life.

The memory was distinct.I was surprised at myself for forgetting it in fact. I remembered the way the revolver Sebastian held felt in my hand. A nervous finger on the trigger, petite smallish hands afraid to even grip it tight in fear of a misfire.

Sebastian had gone on talking, listing some other things I had to train for, but I was barely listening. In fact, I interrupted him.

"Perhaps I should retire for the night if we're to do all that much." I spoke with difficulty. "I need...time. To think about all this." Sebastian paused briefly. I couldn't see his expression but I'm sure he was shocked. Or maybe annoyed since I had interjected. I had seen the way he reacted at Madame Red just last night.

"Ah, of course. I did not mean to bombard you with so much information," Sebastian apologized, bowing deeply. "But, you must allow me to help you out of that dress. It's completely tarnished."

"N-No," I stammered. "That's okay..I'll be fine. Really. After all," I laughed nervously, "You didn't allow me to take yours off earlier."

There was a pause for a moment as I processed what I had said. He said nothing at first, just looked down at me and seemed..mildly amused?

A feeling of dread washed over me as I realized what I had said. Why did I word it that way? Embarrassing. It's not as if I wanted to undress him. Or maybe I did? Sebastian was pretty attractive, but I had done well in not alerting him to this...right? Or maybe I hadn't. I was only trying to be helpful earlier! Just like he was. So why did that sentence sound so wrong aloud? As soon as the words escaped my lips, I clasped a hand over them trying to stifle a gasp. And of course Sebastian had picked up on this compromising wording, a brow raising and those lips of his twitching at the corners. I was mortified.

"Ah. What I meant to say was that I-"

"No need to explain," Sebastian spoke. "It has been quite a long night hasn't it?" He let the words linger in the air as we met eyes for a treacherously long second. The butler purposefully stepped forward to get into my personal space, but just far enough that we weren't touching at all. This did nothing but heighten my anxiety.

"We should both get rest; Wouldn't you agree?" He paused, his arm raising. "My, you're as red as a ripe tomato." Smirking lightly, his hand rose to my face, moving my blunt messy bangs aside to rest the back of his hand against my hot forehead. His knuckles dusted over my forehead, soft fabric on my skin. Only for a moment, he allowed this touch. Quickly drawing back from me, he had straightened again, an easy smile on his face.

"I hope that you haven't caught a fever from being out in the rain tonight," He chirped. All of a sudden that flirty, breathy demeanor had vanished. "You should sleep with two blankets tonight, just in case."

I hesitated at first, trying to process what he had just done there.

"R-Right!" I chirped back, taking a step away from him. No. I was determined to not fall into this trap. Embarrassment? Fear? I felt a bit of both, knowing that the other was simply teasing me and enjoying every second of my awkward reactions. It felt almost cruel. Like a spider teasing the prey in its web.

"Goodnight, Sebastian." I watched his expression carefully now. I don't think the butler had anticipated me to step away from him. To almost cooly shrug off his flirtatious gesture. I felt powerful for it when I saw the stunned look on his face. The way he hesitated for the slightest second…

"Sleep well, Miss Haruka." Were the last words he uttered to me that night.

Dreams. Dreams. Dreams. Some say they say they're the windows to our souls. Others say they can be premonitions and warnings from your subconscious. So, you can naturally imagine my surprise and discomfort when I found myself dancing about in a boneyard, cold and desolate.

It had been any old dream at first. In fact, it had been a memory of dancing with Charles in a meadow, giggling and flirting like we had when he had first met. I had this dream a few times before. The banter was always the same, until suddenly tonight..it wasn't.

A dip and a spin. Done carefully so that he had pulled me into his chest. I hadn't expected anything different but to continue dancing in the open meadow, but when Charles spun me back out to face him, he wasn't Charles at all. Pale. Red eyes and dark hair. Somehow Charles had turned into Sebastian. And the meadow we danced in was no longer green and lush but dead and decaying. Bones beneath our feet.

Instantly, I had felt myself getting nervous. Sebastian looked wild, even in spite of the suit he wore. I could see it in his eyes. He really looked like a wolf in sheep's clothing. And the way we danced was fast and quick paced; I could barely keep in step with him. But I suppose what really turned it into more of a nightmare than anything was his peculiarly vibrant red eyes. They were definitely inhuman. I'm not sure why I had never realized this before. Why I had brushed off the vermilion eyes as if they were normal.

"Can you keep up with me?" He laughed. His tone of voice was far different. Not the velvety one I recognized and something that sounded raspy. Devilish.

I hesitated to answer him. His steps were quick. I was really just barely keeping up with him, and I was asking myself the same question internally.

"Of course I can," I answered back. "What fun would it be if we stopped now?" The words had poured from me before I knew it, and they sounded oddly familiar. Had I said something like that before?

"Good," He chuckled. "It would be a shame, really, if the mouse was caught so quickly by the cat."

The sentence seemed out of context. Out of place in our brief conversation. Of course, in my dream I hadn't the time to analyze this.

"Let us see what tricks this meek little mouse has up its sleeve."

And then that was it. I woke with start, drenched in sweat and my heart racing in my chest. I took a moment to gather myself, my eyes unfocused as I stared up at the ceiling practically panting. It really did feel as if I had just been dancing. Ragged breath and sweat dripping down my face, I decided. Before I could embark on this journey to seek out Charles and the perpetrators of that crime, I needed to know who Sebastian and Ciel really were. Who were these people and what was the nature of my husband's relationship with them?

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Soon after this chapter, you'll start learning more about Midori Haruka!


	9. Chapter 9

I am back! Thank you guys for all the follows and favs! Please don't forget to review as well; Feedback keeps me going.

How am I doing so far? I really REALLY enjoy writing Sebastian's character, but I hope that it isn't too OOC of him. Anyways, enjoy Chapter 9!

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Morning came sooner than I had expected, but I didn't dare complain. I had already overslept that morning and had to be directed out of bed by Sebastian. Which was embarrassing in itself.

I felt an array of emotions that morning as Sebastian gave me drills about shooting guns. I tried my best to act like a clueless, helpless woman. Dropping the gun countless times and asking where the trigger was to the point even I was annoyed with myself. I didn't want to arise suspicions. Noblewomen weren't supposed to be sharp shooters. Just dainty and polite and completely feminine. It's what I had always done, and what I had tried to be for Charles despite his insistence on my liberation.

Feeling the gun in my hand brought back more memories. What it felt like to shoot. Charles had taught me to shoot trees. Then after that, we tried moving targets. I disliked the way it felt when I saw a deer fall completely helpless beneath the bullet. But it was apparently all necessary. Just in case something..no.. _someone_ came after me.

Anyways, In addition to the helpless, clutzy act I was putting on, I was trying to think of anything that would distract me from the general discomfort I felt around Sebastian. The embarrassment. The fear. I found myself focusing on Charles, comparing him and Sebastian put me at ease, somehow. Their..similarities. In height. In speech. In elegance and in class. But the one thing that distinguished the two, I felt, was Charles's love of adventure. Sebastian seemed content to run a is what I had deduced from him at least. He and I were similar in that way. The way that we faithfully took care of those we care about to our fullest extent. Except of course, I don't know that I would have the capacity to kill.

And with that the thought returned to me. Ones of which I had been running from and trying to avoid in spite of our shooting activities that morning. I turned last night's events over and over in my head, remembering clearly the way that man last night had collapsed on to me. He'd twitched. Struggled. I watched a human being die before my eyes. And God, the way the knife looked when it had been lodged inside his skull. Blood simply streamed down his hair and neck. Not to mention, after all was said and done, Sebastian had taken the knife from his head. I watched secretly as the he'd dislodged it, and how he had pulled out a handkerchief to clean it of its blood. Casually. So casually as if he were shining another piece of cutlery in the cupboard.

Nevertheless, I had to keep on with this act. This "job" I had now, that was really more of a way to appease me it seemed. After speaking with Sebastian early this morning, he had explained this job thing was the only way Ciel would figure that I would stay. I had already tried running away, and my constant suggestions that I didn't belong here prompted him to create a position for me. Based off of Sebastian's suggestion I heard. Besides, he needn't anyone aware of the metal bending butler, their strong as an ox gardener, or the way Ciel had crossdressed. I was told to consider it a nicety between two friends this time. I couldn't complain too much, I guess. I was left alive, wasn't I?

"This is our new pastry chef," Sebastian announced, waving a hand to me. He had called a meeting in the kitchen, and the others were gathered around, looking upon me in awe. Which actually felt quite awkward. I found myself looking anywhere but at them.

"Ah no way! Midori, you're going to be my little kitchen aid?" Bard exclaimed, blue eyes sparkling with excitement. "Not that I need one anyways. I'm a pro-chef."

"Are you now?" I teased, laughing a bit.

I had not expected such an enthusiastic reaction. And I realized this small taunt of mine had made him embarrassed, a blush rising to his cheeks.

"Welcome aboard!" The gardener had spoke. "I don't know if I mentioned it already, but I'm Finny!" He shook my hand avidly, clasping my hand with both his.

Maylene stepped forward, a wide smile on her face.

"I can't believe you're working here now! What a crazy turn of events!" She laughed, shaking my hand once Finny had taken a step back.

"Considering her background, please don't consider it unusual if she is asked to accompany the Young Master on trips every now and again," Sebastian spoke. I assumed he would atone that statement with a further explanation, but the servants seemed content to accept that.

"Please make her feel welcome here. There is much for me to do today, so I must be leaving now. Everyone, please do your work diligently!"

They all shouted a hearty "Yes Sir" in unison. Sebastian bowed before making a hasty exit, leaving the five of us in the kitchen to idle about.

"Ah, everyone!" Finny shouted from the other side of the kitchen. When had he been able to make it over there? He stood in front of a calendar, pointing frantically at today's date.

"I hope you guys didn't forget. Today is Ciel's thirteenth birthday! The Marchioness Middleford will be stopping by today too."

They all squeaked in surprise, scrambling to their feet at the sound of this.

"The Marchioness Middleford?" I murmured to myself. The name sounded familiar. Had I made her acquaintance once before at a party? Briefly. Maybe? Yeah. She had a young daughter, and an excitable husband...No way. The Marchioness? If I was thinking of the right person, she was a lady who exhibited ultimate elegance, class and etiquette. I tensed. The sight of someone as seemingly disgraceful as me would be the end of my days.

"Ah! I can't be seen by her! She will most definitely recognize me. I can't sully the Phantomhive name with my presence." I started to pace for a second, hands entangled in my hair.

"I should hide. Pull my hair up maybe? Borrow some of those glasses Maylene wears...That would be a good disguise…" I mumbled to myself frantically. Between curses and muttering.

"Ah calm down Midori!" Bard spoke, his hands resting on my shoulders. He gave me a squeeze as if to draw my attention towards him.

"I'm sure our Master knows of the implications of hiring you. If you weren't a good fit, he would not have offered to help you, right?" Bard laughed.

"I..suppose not.." I muttered shyly.

"Midori, you know her?" Maylene asked, stepping forward excitedly.

"Ah..I've met her once or twice before. She is quite the character," I spoke, a short humorless laughing following my statement.

"You guyssss!" Finny whined, "We have to get going! There's no time to waste!"

He stuck his hand out in front to him, his palm facing the ground.

"Let's agree to give it our all today, everyone!" He exclaimed. I joined in with them, yelling out with the others. And then everyone was off, scrambling to their posts. Bard and I remained in the kitchen of course.

"Well we should at least make a cake today!" Bard suggested, walking forward to the pantries.

"A cake? What about lunch? Tea?"

"No, a cake is the most important!."

"I suppose I can start on one..." I murmured, stepping forward towards Bard. "Then it's decided. I, as the Phantomhive pastry-chef will prepare the cake! So long as you prepare lunch, that is."

"Fine. But only because I know you're the designated cake person."

Immediately, I started the preparations, first by tying my hair back and pulling it up and away from my face. I pulled out mixing bowls and various ingredients for the cake. Who knew when they'd want to serve dessert? So I moved with haste, knowing how to make a few different types of cakes off the top of my head; there was no need for a recipe. Quickly, I decided that I would make a cake that I thought was somewhat of a personal specialty. I remembered Charles enjoyed it very much the few times I had slinked off to the kitchen to bake.

I couldn't tell how much time passed, but it was enough for me to get caught up in my work. With eggs cracked, butter melted, and sugar and flour thrown in, I had left the cake batter in the oven to bake now and turned to see what Bard was occupying himself with. Only to see the man was holding some extreme contraption that was emitting flames.

"B-Bard!" I exclaimed, clutching my chest. My eyes were glued to the weapon in his hand."Please, put that down this instant! You're going to cause a fire!"

"I know what I'm doing! Lunch will be soon, and I need this to warm quicker than it's taking!"

I was too late. By the time I had rushed over to snatch the wicked thing from Bard, something was blowing up. Hot heat rushed to my face, singing my hair. I erupted into a coughing fit, only barely able to see the things around me with the thick dark smoke shrouding around me.

" _B-Bard_ ," I sputtered through my hacking.

"Hell. I should've listened to you all along," Bard managed to choke out.

I rose to my feet, feeling around for a window until my fingers slowly slid to cold glass. I made haste when I realized it couldn't be anything but a window, sliding it open and thrusting my head out in the crisp fresh air.

My vision came back, tears streaming from irritated red eyes.

"Bard," I started. "Please never use a flamethrower around gasoline."

He was silent at first. Then erupted into something of a sheepish laughter.

"Of course, Midori." His footsteps drew closer to me, until I felt him weave his way beside me in the window, his face brushing mine as he joined me.

"This is the best way to cool off at a time like this," Bard laughed, running his fingers through his fire-singed blonde hair.

"We should clean this place up immediately," I spoke. "I'll prepare something, as long as you take care of the cake. Please, if you could take it out of the oven in a few minutes and let it cool on the window sill, I can frost it later."

"Sure thing, Midori. Then what do you want me to do?"

I was shocked he was taking orders from me. And also surprised that I was giving them, as timid as I usually was.

"Ah..Well. If you could help me clean that would be great," I spoke with a nervous laugh. Wringing my hands, I approached the sink, finding a bowl to prepare some dish water in. There was a lot to clean. Entirely too much! But the sooner I started, the sooner I would be finished right? And the less likely Sebastian would know about this mishap. So I got to scrubbing off the soot of the counters and stove top, eventually finding myself scrubbing it off the floor as well. I wasn't even halfway finished when I heard a loud thump outside the kitchen and a female screaming.

"Ah!" I gasped. I was naturally concerned. I recognized the voice to be Maylene's immediately.

"Bard, can you do a little cleaning here while I go check on Maylene? Please don't forget to take out the cake in the oven!" I said this as I ran off, dashing down the hall to check on Maylene

She was frantically trying to decorate it seemed,but incidentally she'd made a mess of the dining hall as well. A broken dish set was scattered around her.

"Ah! What happened!" I exclaimed, looking around frantically at the mess she was knelt down around. "Do you need help?" I asked, kneeling down to the frantic, close to tears maid.

"P-Please! Midori, would you be so kind?" She whined, grabbing a tight hold of my sleeve.

"Of course," I replied. "Please, if you could go help Bard clean up the kitchen...Can you manage that?" I asked sheepishly. I didn't want to sound as if I was ordering them around, but it was starting to feel as if they needed direction. And I wasn't wrong. It seemed as if I was endlessly cleaning up behind them the rest of that day. I started to clean up the mess of dishes, shoeing Maylene away constantly whenever the woman would waltz over and try to help me with the decor. It seemed every time she set out to to help me, something else was breaking. As was Bard. Simply washing away today's mess in the kitchen became a hassle, as he was dropping water on the kitchen's floor, the floors slick as the two bumbled around in the kitchen. But I suppose I could not complain too much. I was quick at working, at least in comparison to the two of them. And after all, I liked to keep busy. They kept me that way.

I wondered where Sebastian could be, as he had yet to come and investigate. Though, I suppose that was a good thing, as Ciel and the Marchioness wouldn't be too far behind if I met up with him. I was not fond of the thought of seeing her.

After a while longer of cleaning up all of their messes, I was finally able to get back to the kitchen where I frosted the cake with my last ounce of energy. Bard had faithfully taken it out of the oven for me as I had asked of him. It was the only thing that wasn't sopping wet in the kitchen I noticed.

I had barely a chance to myself whilst I was in the midst of that cleaning spree. My knees were weak, and my back hunched over the cake as I set away to frosting. The kitchen floors were slick. Because of this, I could hear the squeaking of Maylene and Bard's shoes on the ground as they approached me at the counter, my back turned to the two.

"Midori, are you okay?" Maylene squeaked.

"You look real tired…" Bard spoke. "Maybe you should let us take care of the rest."

"I'm fine," I spoke. "Please take this cake out to them. I do believe I heard voices outside just a little while earlier."

Bard blinked in surprise, staring down at the cake with a look of amazement.

With beautiful decor, an unbroken set of dishes, and a dinner and dessert to return to, I do believe I did my job quite well today, even if it took every ounce of my energy. Despite the other servants' protests, I let them present the cake and decor I had continually fixed for them today.

"It was all your ideas. I wasn't even aware today was the master's birthday until you mentioned it," I spoke. "So please, enjoy yourselves. I will continue to clean back here. After all, I'm not very keen of meeting with the Marchioness." I laughed sheepishly.

"Midori, if there's any way we can repay you…" Bard started to say, but I rose a hand to wave him off.

"Go enjoy yourselves. I will be fine. I need to get to drying this floor now! I wouldn't want any of you guys to slip."

I rushed them out of the kitchen, cake in tow. More so to get the two of them out of the way. I needed to finish this "work" they had created for me. With the kitchen quiet now, I set away to working for a bit, finding a mop to absorb the excess water on the floor.

After a bit of watching the mop swish side to side, I realized that I truly felt weak and sick to my stomach. Had I even eaten anything myself today? I couldn't even remember. Perhaps I had taste tested things here and there, but never completely indulged. Even still, I continued to clean and prepare the kitchen. I could feel my vision going in and out, and I could barely keep my eyes open. Before I could catch myself, I started to fall backwards to the floor until suddenly, I felt two arms around me.

"My, my Miss Haruka. Aren't we hard at work?" I heard. The familiar voice of the butler. "You've completely over extended yourself."

Even through my exhaustion, I tensed at the sound of him; the feel of his arms around me.

"Ah…" I moaned, "There was just so much that went wrong today," I managed to utter.

"Is that so?" I felt Sebastian scoop me up into his arms, an arm hooked around my legs, the other supporting my back. "You did an excellent job cleaning up their messes today."

I gasped, staring down at the distance between myself and the ground.

"S-Sebastian," I sputtered, "What are you doing?"

My head pounded with each word I spoke. My stomach knotted and growled.

"You've nearly fainted, Miss Haruka. It's my responsibility to make sure each of the Phantomhive staff is in a healthy condition," I averted my eyes, cringing inwardly at his words while outwardly blushing. "You're very ill this evening, are you not? I did not mean to work you so hard on your first day here."

He was moving now, shouldering the kitchen door open and waltzing down the hallway.

"I suppose I should have considered the other servants you would be working with today when I instructed you this morning," He spoke. There was a pause before he spoke again. "Those gun drills were a bit of breeze for you, weren't they?"

Even through my exhaustion, I tensed at the sound of this. Sebastian clicked his tongue, sighing exasperatedly.

"Miss Haruka, you are not not a very good actress."

I was silent for a moment before speaking, unsure of how to defend myself. And also unsure of where this man was taking me.

"I'm not lying about anything," I spoke. Instantly, I regretted the statement. Was that the best I could come up with? Charles should've taught me how to be a better liar too.

We had ascended stairs, and gone down another hallway. It was familiar. But I was in such a daze I could barely focus on location. Just the sound of compromising words. Another door was shouldered open. A bedroom. ...A bedroom?! I looked frantically between the bed Sebastian was quickly approaching and the butler.

"Oh?" Sebastian laid me gently down on a bed, pushing away my hair that clung to my face. Now that I was laying down, I felt a little less ill. My eyes were able to focus, and I was able to see the butler that hovered above my face, breath tickling my skin as he pushed strands of hair away from my face.

I could feel myself starting to panic now. What was he intending to do? Especially at this moment, when I could barely stand on my two feet. No, no no. He was going to do anything perverse was he? No. NO. Not Sebastian. How could I assume such a thing? I must've looked panicked and afraid, because I saw this look in Sebastian's eyes. Playfulness. Dishonesty. Flirty.

"I'm sure you do not," He spoke. "But you must admit, that was quite a truth you left out," He chuckled. "But I suppose that is my miscalculation. I should have further investigated you."

I felt a pillow at my legs now.

"Please excuse me. I'm going to loosen your clothing," Sebastian spoke. His hands were quickly undoing the strings tying my corset up. I was able to breathe a bit better at this, feeling waves of relief.

"Midori Haruka," he crowed. It was the first time I had heard him say my full name. "I hear you were a farmhand from America, were you not?" I heard pouring of liquid and sat up curiously. A small teacup was pushed my way by Sebastian.

"There's a large gap of time missing between the ages of thirteen and nineteen."

"I'm..nineteen now," I uttered, reluctantly taking the teacup. Where was he going with this? Was he intending to extract information from me?

"Why the tea? I just need a few moments to recollect myself is all, Mister Sebastian."

"Ah. The tea will revitalize you. It's not good to sleep after nearly fainting. I'm sure your fainting has something to do with your diet today."

I was silent, looking at my distorted reflection in the tea.

"So," He spoke. "Just what happened during that time? How was it that you, a young woman from America, met Master Whiston and ended up here in England?"

Ah. He had revisited the other topic. Between the ages of thirteen and nineteen, I knew exactly where I had been. But Sebastian wasn't my employer; so why did he need to know? Prying, yet again for information about me when he and Ciel had not revealed much about themselves..Why, it felt sort of hypocritical. I was uncomfortable with the question, so I did something..well. Quite childish. At first I was silent, watching him as I sipped the tea. He looked at me expectantly, awaiting an answer. Once I realized this, I purposefully sipped the hot tea quickly, burning my tongue and mouth.

"AH! It's so hot!"I exclaimed, fanning my mouth. It was a rotten plan. I had genuinely burned my tongue on that blasted tea, but it was better than divulging details.

Sebastian at first, was quick to berate me.

"Ah, Miss Haruka, you shouldn't drink it so fast!" He had said. He started to help me, grabbing a napkin and softly wiping away the tea that was streaming down my chin. However, I then watched him slowly realize what was happening here. And he smiled so.. _.patiently._

"Where are my manners?" He chuckled to himself. "I'll leave you to yourself to recover, Miss Haruka. A little breathing space might be nice, I suppose." The butler spoke. His hand never left my face, sliding down to cup my chin.

Suddenly, his face drew slightly closer to mine, the most wicked smirk I had ever seen etched into his features. I could feel a pink flush rising to my cheeks as he drew closer and closer until there really was not much space between the two of our faces.

"We can continue our conversation sooner or later. I am a patient man." The words came slowly and with a certain confidence. Red wild eyes bore into mine, so excited and completely unhinged. His gaze was prolonged, and I found myself trying to look anywhere else but look at this man, this oh so scary, flirty man. He knew just how to make me crumble, and I loathed myself for feeling like a bug because of him.

He straightened again, dismissing himself. He said a few other words, but I was so taken aback by what had just happened, adrenaline pumping through my body as my heart tried to beat out of my chest. Sebastian was really flirting with me, and I didn't know what to do about it at all.


End file.
